


No Time To Sleep

by Onehelluvapilot



Series: Febuwhump [8]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Blood and Injury, Cuddling & Snuggling, Gen, Hurt Leon (Merlin), Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Injury, Protective Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Touch-Starved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:48:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29135046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onehelluvapilot/pseuds/Onehelluvapilot
Summary: Leon is hurt on patrol, and, separated from Merlin, Arthur has no medical supplies to help him and no herbs to numb the pain, so he has to make due as best he can.
Relationships: Leon & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Febuwhump [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2134998
Comments: 6
Kudos: 26





	No Time To Sleep

**Author's Note:**

> Betaed by LiGi

Why did it seem like every time Arthur really needed Merlin, he wasn’t there? The servant had been with Gwaine when their small patrol group split up, since the knight had been the first to claim his company before Leon or Arthur could speak up. They weren't planning to be apart long, just enough time to scout the area for evidence that men had crossed the border, but that changed when the mercenaries attacked. The location where they had planned to meet back up was almost certainly compromised, and while the prince might have decided to risk going to it had they both been well, he wasn't willing to do so with Leon already wounded. The knight had been stabbed in the shoulder during a skirmish, and while he could still walk, his strength was waning already. Arthur bound the wound as best as he could with his cloak before slinging the knight's free arm over his shoulders to help support him as they searched for shelter.

Their salvation came around dusk in the form of a cave in the hillside. Arthur went in first to check that it wasn't inhabited by bears or anything else nasty, and when he confirmed that it was safe, he went back to help Leon up the steep slope and inside. The knight's face was pinched in pain and he panted heavily as he struggled to breathe around it. His shoulder seemed to have stopped bleeding, but it wouldn't take much movement to make it start again. Especially since he had no way to administer stitches that might have helped keep the wound closed.

"We'll spend the night here," Arthur announced. He could tell that Leon desperately needed a chance to rest and recover some of his strength. "I'll keep watch, you should try to sleep."

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea, sire," Leon replied softly, remaining sitting upright against the back wall of the cave.

"Why not?"

"I- I get nightmares. I'm likely to scream and give away our position, or to thrash and start my arm bleeding again."

“Oh.” Arthur didn’t quite know how to react to that, as he wasn’t used to people, other men especially, confessing weakness such as that. “Is… is there anything that helps?”

“It’s not a problem. I don’t need to sleep too badly.”

"Leon, respectfully, you look like you're going to pass out at any moment," Arthur said. "And that wasn't a no to there being something that helps."

“You don’t have to-”

“Leon,” he said firmly. The knight always responded when the king spoke to him so. “Tell me what it is first."

"Um. Touch sometimes helps."

"Oh." Arthur didn't really know what he'd been expecting, but he had been hoping it was some water or a blanket. While this was, or should have been, easier than those to solve, he would have to admit that he had no idea how to comfort someone with touch. He didn’t think he’d touched Leon for more than a brief hug or a pat on the back since he was a child. “Like, holding your hand?”

“Yeah, that might work,” Leon sighed. Arthur bit his lip. Ideally, he would sit watch at the entrance to the cave while the injured man was sequestered farther in, but if he had to hold his hand, that wouldn’t work. Regardless, he reached down and let the knight hold his fingers.

“Is this alright?” he asked nervously. Leon squeezed his hand, and Arthur helped him lie down.

“Yeah.”

“Okay. I’ll stay right here then.”

“...Are  _ you _ okay?” Leon asked suddenly. “You’re crying.”

Arthur realized with a bit of shock that he was, raising his hand that wasn’t held in the other man’s to his face to feel the wetness on his cheek. “Just something in my eye,” he insisted, sniffling and quickly wiping away the tears. Leon still looked concerned, though really, he should be the one they were worrying about. “Try to get some sleep.” The knight nodded and closed his eyes, and his grip on Arthur’s hand gradually slackened as he drifted off.

Since the sun had set already, the only way for the prince to measure how much time was passing was to count their breaths, and he’d never been very good at math. However long he had, it was enough time for a little bit of soul searching about why he had suddenly started crying when he held Leon’s hand. The realization that he couldn’t remember the last time he had touched another man affectionately hit him like a stampede. Sure he sometimes tousled Merlin’s hair or slapped another knight on the back during practice, but that was a far cry from the tenderness of holding a friend’s hand. Come to think of it, the only person who he regularly touched was Gwen, and even that was limited by the fact that they were still trying to keep their relationship fairly private. Even more concerning was his realization that he couldn’t recall a single time in his life when he hadn’t been starved for touch and casual affection. He had always thought that doing so would make him look like less of a man, if he needed comfort. But seeing the other knights and Merlin interacting fondly hadn’t made him question their manhood or think any less of them...

Leon stirred in his sleep and a whine escaped him as it jostled his wound. Arthur reached out carefully and took hold of his arm, pressing it against his side so he didn’t move it and tear the injury open again. Was he having a nightmare? Should he try to wake him? The knight needed rest though, badly, so he felt he shouldn’t disturb his sleep unless it was putting them in danger. The knight seemed to calm, fortunately, but the prince kept hold of his arm just in case. His position bent over the man was awkward, but he could hold it up for a while.

“No…” Leon whispered, so softly that Arthur thought he had imagined it for a moment. “No, please, stop…”

“It’s alright, Leon, it’s okay,” Arthur tried to soothe him. It had no effect.

“No!” he cried out louder, and the prince quickly slapped a hand over his mouth. That woke him up in a hell of a hurry. He kicked up at the man leaning over him and tried to throw a punch at him, only to have him moan in pain as the motion hurt his arm.

“Leon, hey, calm down,” Arthur instructed, grabbing his left shoulder and pushing down on his chest to try to prevent the attack. “It’s just me, I’m not going to hurt you.” Recognition seemed to bloom slowly over the knight’s face as he stopped struggling. The emotion was replaced by a wince, however, as tears sprang to his eyes. “Lie still and let me check your wound.” The prince carefully untied the bandage, and was disturbed to find that beneath it, the cut was indeed bleeding again. Leon was also shaking, though from cold or residual fear from his dream it was hard to tell. His boots scuffed at the dirt floor of the cave as he tried not to writhe in pain when Arthur pressed a relatively clean part of his cloak against the injury to try to try to stem the flow of blood.

“Stop, please,” he whimpered. The words were disturbingly similar to what he had muttered in the midst of his nightmare, and Arthur’s heart broke for him.

“I’m sorry, but I have to,” he apologized. Desperately trying to think of a way he could make it better when he had no painkillers or other medical supplies, his mind flashed back to what he had been thinking earlier about the comfort of touch. “Do you think you can sit up?” He didn’t wait for an answer as he carefully began maneuvering Leon upright. Taking a seat leaning against the wall of the cave himself, he pulled the knight to lean against his chest. That way, he could keep pressure against the wound while also hugging him, and maybe helping a little with the pain that way. Hopefully it would help him to share body heat too, since the injured man was still shivering.

Leon leaned back against him, letting his head fall back onto his left shoulder and turning it so his forehead pressed against the warmth of his neck. Arthur, if he was being honest with himself, had no idea how to react to that, so he just squeezed his friend a little more tightly. He didn’t know what to say that would help, so he stayed silent as he held him. Each of Leon’s exhales puffed against his neck, and he tried to time his own breathing to match it. They started out almost uncomfortably fast, as the knight struggled to breathe through the pain, but gradually slowed. His body lost some of its tension as well, until, after five hundred breaths or so, he was limp in Arthur’s arms, having either fallen asleep or passed out. By that point, the bleeding also seemed to have stopped again. The prince didn’t want to risk jostling him and either waking him up or restarting the bleeding, so he stayed still. If that meant he got to hold Leon for longer, that was definitely an unintended benefit.

He must’ve drifted off himself, because before he knew it sunlight was streaming into the cave and someone was shaking him awake as another person tried to pull Leon away from him. Instinctively he held onto him tighter, before the two figures coalesced into Gwaine and Merlin.

“Arthur, it’s okay, it’s just us. You need to let go of Leon,” his manservant said. Reluctantly he obeyed, watching as the other two men carefully helped Lancelot to his feet. The injured knight leaned heavily against them, but he was awake and alive.

“C’mon, this is no time to be sleeping,” Gwaine added. “We stole some horses from the mercenaries, so we can return to Camelot and get reinforcements.”

“Good,” Arthur said, trying to sound dignified as he got to his feet and cleared his throat. He helped Leon and Gwaine down from the cave, and got the injured knight onto one of the three horses they had been able to nab. Merlin climbed up behind him to help him stay in the saddle, and the four men took off for home. They rode close together, so as not to be separated again if they ran into more of the mercenaries, and Arthur could hear Merlin encouraging Leon to try to stay awake. Finally, they made it home, and once the injured knight was escorted to the physician’s chambers, he was able to get some proper rest.

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment and/or come talk to me on tumblr, where I'm @gremlinbehaviour


End file.
